CreaseAndAssist

Let me translate this...a few players contacted me that they were annoyed Bruce was playing the 3rd and 4th line last night because even though their line hadn't done a damn thing all game they thought they should be playing. Those players may have recieved power play time...and threw it away with sloppy passes and mishandles of the puck...but they feel Bruce should've spent more time working on the power play said a player who wished to remain anonymous. The two players thought Dean might be a better fit. They said they talked to Dean and he said he'd be playing the Top 2 lines almost all of the time while the 3rd and 4th lines would only get intermittent opportunities and are confident this will help the team win more games. But if it doesn't, then Dean sucks and you can replace him with another guy we'll try to control like all of the others. Did I really miss anything. The ******** meter is 100% correct.

But is that entirely on him? Was he saying to the players? Oh when you're out there on the power play...just throw the puck on the boards...just skate around ok? No, of course not. So now you boot the coach? If the threat of dealing players for quitting was a threat to kick them in the arse, then what message does firing the coach send? It says we're screwed. For what? For going 7-3-1 in their last 10 games? That's stupid. You don't want Bruce around, sure...but wait for the season to be over. Evason isn't going to inspire this team any better, most likely it will be worse. His last few seasons in Milwaukee were terrible. For all of the positive mojo he created with the Zucker trade, he certainly threw that down the shitter with this move to dump Bruce. I think most fans could tell it wasn't his fault. As long as #11 and #20 are there, the culture will be whatever they wish it to be. Doesn't matter who the bench boss will be, those two will have veto / i.e. coach canning authority anyways. Yeo Torchetti Boudreau Let me guess...Suter almost laughs as he says Bruce, "is a great guy"

I am not a fan of the slow down thing, but in this situation, it was the pivot so he's skating backwards and pulling the puck back and away from the goal crease which is pure crap and against the rules. But the league didn't care...and the shootout goal stood. Didn't really matter though...none of our guys were burying any of their shootout attempts.

I would agree. Stalock was really fighting it last night. To his credit, he'd make the first save but his rebound control wasn't too great and his defenseman bailed him out a number of times. He also had some stickhandling gaffes that nearly came back to bite us too. It was not a great game for him. But the Wild still should've won this game.

Galchenyuk looked even more lost last night. It takes a while for him to get up to speed, but he moves well once he gets going. Yet, unless he's scoring...he doesn't really give you anything at all.

Nonchalant 3rd Period Hurts Wild in 4-3 Shootout Loss to the Rangers 1st and 2nd lines were pretty much MIA almost the entire game. But in the 3rd period, everyone seemed to want to coast and they pee'd away two power plays and the Rangers were able to claw the game to a tie. The Wild deserved their fate. If I'm Guerin...I make another trade. This wasn't giving up, but it was losing focus and that can't happen given where the Wild are at in the standings. Brodin played pretty well and I liked how Donato played as well as the 3rd line. But beyond that...lots of passengers among the older vets. The Panarin shootout goal was pure crap, about the same as what I think of most of Patrick Kane's shootout winners. St. Pierre wasn't going to overule himself...what a coward. Yet if the Wild didn't dink around in the 3rd they wouldn't be in that situation. I have full game recap, an Iowa Wild report, prospect news and Minnesota Boys HS hockey rankings (the final ones of the regular season). Enjoy...

If there is any silver lining there...he sounds like a player who is working hard at trying to make his game faster.

(shrugs) I think any team feels that a change of scenery might bring out the best. And given that chance in the Top 6 maybe you'll find out something another club didn't while they relegated that player to the 4th line. Still, I don't think Galchenyuk's addition was something the Wild wanted as much as it was necessary to clear some cap space for the Penguins to get Zucker. And since Galchenyuk is set to be a UFA this summer, the Wild are not really on the hook unless we decide its worth tendering him a contract. We'll see what Galchenyuk does with the rest of this audition or whether the Wild consider dealing him too to get even more in return. Either way, I think the Wild made a smart savvy move. If the deal's success or failure really hinged on Galchenyuk being able to figure it out and revert to 30-goal form, then the deal looks pretty iffy to say the least. But I don't think it was about that at all.

Poor Chucho...Stalock gets the start tonight. Also, apparently the Rangers are very interested in Jordan Greenway.

I always thought Walz or Laaksonen might be faster than Gaborik back in those days. It would be close, but the team did have some speed back then. The real question people should be asking about Zucker is why did he stop using his wheels? He caused lots of problems when he did just turn on the jets, so why limit their use or just abandon it altogether? Either way...I don't care. Galchenyuk was every bit of Vanek LITE last night I think as someone said above. Little to no defense...cherry picks...doesn't get involved in puck battles unless he thinks he can sweep it up and just skate away. He does have a bit more speed than Vanek, but an underwhelming debut for sure. Yet, if this is a silver lining at all. We didn't need him to be anything special last night and we don't really have to care too much if he is or not. He's not the critical part of the deal, just an ends to a means.

Wild Strike 3 Times on the Power Play in 4-0 Rout of Vegas Pretty good effort and I like the fact the team didn't get too caught up in Reaves' antics and just let it play out on the scoreboard and pretty soon he was neutralized. The power play is looking good, but its not pretty tallies as much as it is crashing the net. I thought Galchenyuk had an ok 1st period, but after that...any comparisons about him being Vanek LITE...were pretty accurate. Always looking to cherry pick and exit the zone instead of really helping out defensively. I like his one-timer...but we have to see more of that. Good thing we didn't really need him to do much of anything. Liked seeing Hunt and Soucy reunited. I have a full game recap, an extended Iowa Wild report and prospect news too, check it out!

It is what we expected from the Granlund trade. Not sure if you heard this, but for a while I guess the offer was Granlund and something else from the Wild (a pick or a prospect) for Fiala. But that seems to be the biggest difference between Fenton and Guerin so far in the deals that have been made. Still a pretty small sample size at this point...

Addison seems to have plateaued in major junior. He's another 6-foot, right-hand shot defenseman with good but not great mobility. The Wild seem to be stockpiling players like that the last few years but he probably carries the biggest potential to be an offensive defenseman at the next level. It sucks for Carly and Jason, and their complex family situation but I think we all knew it was going to happen. Hopefully for Jason he's happier in Pittsburgh and I think he'll enjoy the far less travel of the Eastern Conference, but no doubt it will be a challenge for the family. Galchenyuk is a pretty low risk add by the Wild IMO especially with him set to be a UFA this summer. He's either more trade bait or he's going to audition for a top 6 role (I'd personally try him at center...and if he can't give us that...then let him walk this summer). It doesn't really matter who 'win''s' on this deal, the transaction makes a TON of sense for the Wild and I think its tough to argue that Guerin got excellent value in his first deal. As far as what Pittsburgh got...Jason will have a few seasons to make it look great, or not. Good on Guerin to clear some more salary, PLUS gain a valuable pick (even if its going to be in the 20's most likely) and a decent prospect for Zucker with no salary retained on our end. IMO, the exact kind of move we hoped last year from Fenton...and why we were mostly disappointed that he insisted on 'hockey trades.'

Soft Goals Undermine Wild in 3-2 Loss to Colorado Overall, the Wild battled fairly well, but some veteran passengers and slugs are making it tough to really compete. Koivu was played sparingly and can't do just about anything anymore. Staal isn't much better so by the time we get to the 3rd period the team has two serviceable centers that they can use. Fiala is great, but right now he's the only real threat the Wild have anymore. I have a full game recap, an Iowa Wild report and prospect news too. Check it out!

Eriksson Ek and Wild Strike Late in 3-2 Win Over Dallas Dubnyk played reasonably well and the Wild were fortunate their penchant for penalties didn't come back to bite them. Donato had a great game and the 3rd line of Greenway, Foligno and Eriksson Ek keep coming up with clutch plays. That late shift was fantastic and a total example of being bigger and stronger and having more want to than your opponent. Big road win; in regulation. I have a full game recap, a Hunter Jones update and Minnesota HS hockey rankings too! Enjoy!

It has been fixed. Not sure how she messed that up. Thanks for catching that Alexandron. Good to see Zucker out of the Top 5. He almost looks like a player who is simply waiting for the trade and doesn't really care right now.

Strong Start Lifts Wild to 4-2 Win Over Vancouver Another pretty good effort, but of course it didn't hurt one bit that Elias Pettersson was a very late scratch for this evening. Zucker's first fight was a total yawn-fest, I don't want to see him chirping at anyone after that. Glad to see Bruce demote him to the 4th line too. Both he and Koivu are pretty much worthless right now. On the positives, Fiala is looking like one of the most talented scorers this team has had since...maybe Marian Gaborik or Brian Rolston. The goal amount isn't there yet, but the skill to do so certainly is. I thought Hunt played very well, despite having slow as crap Pateryn as a partner. Hopefully the Wild put Bartkowski in the lineup against Dallas instead of Pateryn. I have a full game recap, an Iowa Wild report and prospect news too! Enjoy...

He was on the 4th line. But labored to move aorund the ice and didn't do much of anything. Its like having a very slow defenseman out there...he doesn't do almost anything offensively and can't skate well enough to stay with or lead any kind of attack out of the zone. So he kind of stays above the faceoff dots and floats...sort of harasses a puck carrier and then slowly makes his way back to the bench.

Soucy is sick...will be a game time decision according to Russo. I'd call up Belpedio or Menell and put them in that spot is Soucy is out. Pateryn isn't worth playing IMO.

I agree with most of this. I still would keep Brodin unless the return was at least a 1st and a top prospect (at a minimum).

Let's make this abundantly clear. I think most Wild fans, and the media don't put the team's struggles on Boudreau almost at all. We like him too and don't believe firing him would change our fortunes for the positive at all. This was a game Chicago needed as much as we did which is why it was a pretty spirited game from start to finish. Yet, the Wild giving up a point to Chicago wasn't good.

I disagree. The Wild were playing to defend their lead the entire 3rd period and were probably lucky it didn't cost them the game. Good thing they went after it in OT though, but IMO...they need to cut bait with #9; he's a disaster waiting to happen and he doesn't give the team anything right now.

Dumba Strikes in Overtime as Wild Win 3-2 Over Chicago They seemed to have a sense of urgency, which is good. But it all is way too late. Koivu...honestly, shoot the dog and find someone else. He can't do his job and is too slow to keep up with the pace of play. The penalty kill actually did their job tonight, but they still have 3 tough games this week. Zucker seems to be checked out IMO. I have a full game recap, prospect news and an extended Iowa Wild report too. Enjoy...

Wild vs. Blackhawks Game Preview Minnesota Wild (23-22-6) 52pts 7th in the Central 3.06 Goals For Per Game (15th in the NHL) 3.33 Goals Against Per Game (29th in the NHL) 20% Power Play (13th in the NHL) 73.5% Penalty Kill (30th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #12 Eric Staal ~ 17G 22A = 39pts 2. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 7G 28A = 35pts 3. #11 Zach Parise ~ 19G 13A = 32pts 4. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 14G 15A = 29pts 5. #16 Jason Zucker ~ 14G 14A = 28pts Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #38 Ryan Hartman ~ 54 PIM’s 2. #19 Luke Kunin ~ 48 PIM’s 3. #18 Jordan Greenway ~ 39 PIM’s Top Goaltenders: 1. #32 Alex Stalock (11-8-3) 2.93GAA .903%SP 2SO 2. #40 Devan Dubnyk (9-13-2) 3.40GAA .890%SP 1SO Vs. Chicago Blackhawks (25-21-6) 56pts 4th in the Central 2.98 Goals For Per Game (18th in the NHL) 3.06 Goals Against Per Game (17th in the NHL) 15.3% Power Play (27th in the NHL) 83.1% Penalty Kill (6th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #88 Patrick Kane ~ 25G 40A = 65pts 2. #19 Jonathan Toews ~ 14G 30A = 44pts 3. #12 Alex DeBrincat ~ 12G 23A = 35pts 4. #8 Dominik Kubalik ~ 21G 11A = 32pts 5. #17 Dylan Strome ~ 10G 20A = 30pts Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #19 Jonathan Toews ~ 36 PIM’s 2. #88 Patrick Kane ~ 34 PIM’s 3. #56 Erik Gustafsson ~ 25 PIM’s Top Goaltenders: 1. #40 Robin Lehner (15-8-4) 2.86GAA .922%SP 2. #50 Corey Crawford (10-13-2) 2.91GAA .912%SP 1SO I wrote up the game preview and @IllaZilla will be on the post gamer folks! The Wild need to find a way to win in regulation tonight if they really want to show fans, the front office they shouldn't just conduct a firesale right now. Or, we could get blown out again...and fans will be more than happy to watch this whole thing be burned to the ground. Will Chicago play Seeler? Enjoy and discuss...

(shrugs) Fenton made a 'hockey trade' with a division rival last year...we should've made Nashville pay a premium but he was so star struck to have his 'kid' back.